ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled more than 50 NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to name the top wide receivers for the 2020 season ($) and Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay landed just outside of the Top-10.
Fowler noted that each voter submitted their top 10-15 wide receivers and then ESPN “compiled the results and ranked candidates based on (the) number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews, and research”. The goal of this exercise was to “identify the best players right now for 2020”.
Here’s how it played out. No surprises at the top, as Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, and Odell Beckham Jr. have all earned Top-4 spots. Tyreek Hill road the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory to the fifth spot, while more established receivers Mike Evans, Davante Adams, and Keenan Allen rounded out the Top-8. Chris Godwin — who was selected 12 spots ahead of Golladay in the 2017 draft — grabbed the nine spot, and Amari Cooper closed out the group.
Five players received honorable mentions, and while it’s unclear if those players were ranked in order, Golladay was the third receiver listed among them.
“He’s central to the game plan, scares you more than some of those other younger guys,” an unnamed NFL passing game coordinator told ESPN. “Big dude who can go over you.”
Golladay is coming off a career year where he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns, earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and because he is still under his rookie contract, he received a well-earned performance escalator bumping his contract from $750,500 to $2.15 million. Even with the significant contract increase, he is still massively underpaid and is in line for a contract extension in the ensuing months.
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